«Un disque unique en son genre et absolument splendide» (Répertoire, France)

‘Powerful performances of great advocacy in exemplary sonics’ (Classic CD)

'‘The variety and subtlety of the textures make demands not only on performers but on the recording process, and all is well managed here. Simović sets the Serenade off in stately, ceremonial style, drawing great warmth and depth of tone from the orchestra' (Gramophone)

'The bracing folk-music rhythms of Bartók’s Divertimento respond particularly well to Simović's affectionate approach … Simović focuses on its lyricism, culminating in a joyous finale' (BBC Music Magazine)» More

‘Any reviewer would have to comment on the beauty and poise of Joan Rodger's near flawless singing, Roger Vignoles's sensitive accompaniments, the excellent, nautral sound … this is a lovely album of Tchaikovsky songs’ (American Record Guide)

'Back in the Russian repertory that he knows so well, and to which he responds more vividly than perhaps any other conductor alive today, Gergiev is once again irresistible … the LSO's playing is consistently outstanding, too' (The Guardian)

'It is LSO Live’s policy to exclude applause. However, given the infectious quality of the music-making, you may feel inclined to append your own' (Gramophone)

'I was entranced from beginning to end by the panache, finesse and imagination ... this is a set where everything seems to go right in terms of sound, interpretation and playing. I’ll be very surprised if it’s not on my list of 2012 favourites' (Limelight, Australia)

'Tchaikovsky composed his last, obsessively tragic symphony just before his sudden death from typhoid in 1893—with the result that, ever since, the world has wondered whether or not he intended his masterpiece, consciously or otherwise, as a kind of personal requiem. We'll never know. Recorded live in the Royal Festival Hall in 2009, Mackerras's performance with the Philharmonia was evidently one of those occasions that, if you were lucky enough to be there, you'll never forget. The symphony's first movement, especially, reaches a level of intensity that's seriously frightening, with astonishing virtuoso firepower from every corner of the orchestra. Through the lyrical Intermezzo and relentless March movements that lead towards the desolate finale, the octane level never lets up. After this, Mendelssohn's overture, performed in the same concert, is a life-restoring experience, with playing of wonderful deftness and character. You probably won't hear a greater performance of the 'Pathétique' Symphony: I certainly never have. And in its different, fleet-footed way, the delivery in the Mendelssohn is in the same class' (Classic FM Magazine)

'There is an immediacy and incisive, almost forensic clarity to this 2009 live performance that makes for tremendous drama at points of crisis. The crack of doom heralded by timpani at the start of the development is all-out electrifying (accentuated, of course, by a gripping, almost inaudible 'fade to black' in the bass clarinet beforehand)—indeed, the forcefulness of the timpani and brass-playing throughout is nothing if not intimidating. And what a dark, saturating sostenuto from the strings at the climax—broadly paced, with trombones bearing down unforgivingly … Mendelssohn's Overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream leavens Tchaikovsky's dark night of the soul with shimmering textures and spry articulation. So much of what Mackerras did was governed by an acute sense of what articulation can achieve—and this is a superb example' (Gramophone)

‘The young Russian pianist proves an eloquent and brilliant advocate in this recording of Tchaikovsky’s piano music’ (The Sunday Times | 100 Best Records of the Year)

‘This is one of my all-time favourite recordings and I'm so happy to have it on CD’ (Early Music Review)